Student protest at Allahabad University intensified on Tuesday as a large number of students blocked the main road outside the campus, bringing traffic between the university, Katra and Chandra Shekhar Azad Park to a standstill for more than seven hours.
Traffic was subsequently diverted through alternative routes, but long queues of vehicles were reported around the university throughout the day. The road blockade came on the ninth day of an indefinite hunger strike over demands including withdrawal of the fee hike, restoration of seats in various courses, reinstatement of suspended students and improvement of basic facilities. Police and administrative officials reached the spot and tried to persuade the protesters to clear the road. A scuffle reportedly broke out between police personnel and the students during the attempts to remove the blockade. Students Satchidanand Yadav, Deepak and Vivek continued their indefinite hunger strike.
Students claimed that around 6,000 seats had been reduced at the university, including nearly 3,500 undergraduate seats. They also alleged that fees were being increased by around 10% annually for undergraduate courses and 14% for postgraduate courses. The students have been protesting since July 10 and warned that a further course of action will be announced if the university administration fails to take a concrete decision on their demands.
Students had gathered on the campus under a “Mahajutaan” call, took out a march and later sat on the road around 2pm, refusing to move until their demands were addressed. Student leaders Anurag Yadav and Ayush Mahatma said the health of those on hunger strike was deteriorating and that the agitation would continue in phases until the demands were resolved.
